Dhoni crosses Rs 20 crore mark in India on opening day

Mumbai, Oct 1: "M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story" collected Rs 21.3 crore in India on its opening day, its makers have said. The Bollywood biopic on star Indian cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni has also been made tax-free in Uttar Pradesh.

According to a statement issued on behalf of the makers of the Sushant Singh Rajput starrer, "the film is the biggest non-festive opener of all time and is the biggest opener for biopic genre" in the country.

Bollywood film business analyst Taran Adarsh tweeted: "'M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story' takes a thunderous start on Day 1... Emerges the second highest opener of 2016... Friday Rs 21.30 crore. India biz."

He also said that its Saturday and Sunday business "should add to a fabulous total" in the country.

Directed by Neeraj Pandey, the movie has been appreciated for Sushant's performance as Dhoni, but its over three hour-long narrative has been found irksome by viewers.

Trade expert Komal Nahta's verdict on the film reads on Facebook: "'M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story' is a sureshot hit at the box office. Extremely entertaining despite being lengthy."

Nevertheless, the film is registering good footfalls, and has been made tax-free in Uttar Pradesh.

Dhoni belongs to Jharkhand, and a few days ago, the entertainment tax was waived of for the movie there. Now even the Uttar Pradesh government has decided to waive it off, the film's makers said.

Arun Pandey, the producer of the movie, said: "We are extremely thrilled and thankful to the government of Uttar Pradesh and Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav for giving the film tax-free status. It is an overwhelming feeling to be seeing this biopic of Mahi's life getting such recognition."

Produced by Fox Star Studios and Arun Pandey of Inspired Entertainment, Directed by Neeraj Pandey, the film also features Kiara Advani, Disha Patani and Anupam Kher in pivotal roles.